Arizona's Senators, McCain and Kyl, will likely split on this 'rider' attached to an important defense and hurricane relief spending bill. McCain should oppose this as he always has. Kyl will support as he always does and everything else evil.

Dick Cheney is cutting short a foreign trip to return to DC in case he needs to cast a tie-breaking vote for drilling. Probably better for foreign relations to keep that guy at home anyway, in his bunker.

We don't need to and shouldn't drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Conservation and better mileage requirements for new cars and trucks could easily replace all the oil that could ever be scraped from the refuge, which would be scarred forever if oil drilling happens.

This is a battle of future visions. The Bush/Cheney oil-heads pushing drilling in Alaska are stuck in the past. Other leaders, most Americans and people worldwide don't want oil drilling in wildlife refuges. The arctic itself is melting off and polar bears are dying due to global warming.

Oil is like heroin and we're the junkies. Big Oil Inc. Bush/Cheney are the pushers.

"Locally the growing Tucson 'brown cloud' of pollution should give us all a reason to cut back"

How do you cut back when most people do not live within walking/biking distance of their place of employment?

People need to get to work..I am sure we agree on this one..ever try the public transit in this town? IT SUCKS!

I see Tucson going through the same thing that other big cities have...they sprawl out so everyone is forced to commute, now that everyone is commuting, someone smacks their forehead and says "Shucks, we forgot to improve the transit system and now these poor folks are stuck out in Oro Valley, NW Tucson, NE Tucson without a way to get to work other than driving."

I am all for less pollution and all for carpooling and all for public transit. The problem is that people are spread out that its impossible to change the mindset..especially with the California transplants.

Biodiesel has to be the greatest thing since sliced bread in terms of fuel, I have a friend who is learning to make it himself. So we are in agreement that biodiesel is a step in the right direction, until they start taxing it..then its a problem :)

You are right, I dont see any compromises being made...on BOTH sides of the house, so what do we do about it? A compromise would be a great thing....too much flat land not being utilised in the central states...what say you?

Dude I wish I could somehow stick a damn sail on my car, ride a horse,something.... of course those things are not allowed... even though I live in the damn boondocks. I say no compromise... I say start investing in big changes. I have said it before... this is not rocket science.

Well Mental there are all kinds of energy sorces out there to use. You already know of them. I don't have to tell you. The point is, with the population growing and growing, the need for oil will only get worse, and the need more. I say instead of finding other sources within our country... I say we start adapting to other means asap. It's time, and we can do it. For farts sake we all HAVE to go to digital tv by 2009. How did they manage to decide that but not how to be energy non-dependant? I love the prez but he has to get on top of this. It's a priority, and so is keeping whatever wildlife refuges peserved, and untouched... it's all we have left. Not to mention burning fossil fuels affects on Global Warming. Merry Christmas Mental... I like your site too. Keep up the good work.

If you are one of those unfortunate suckers that bought an oversized "McMansion" many miles from your workplace, schools, shopping, and other amenities, well then you are screwed.

Cheap oil is a finite resource, and it's going, going, gone very soon. And the suburbs, which are the greatest misappropriation of resources the world has ever seen, will not be able to survive without cheap gasoline.

When your mortgage payment is dwarfed by your home energy costs, and when you pay $200 a week just for one household jobholder to commute to work, well then we will see about "compromises."

Jeebus. Carter tried you warn you stupid bastids about this some time ago. But clues don't work for Republicans.